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#JebFailsEd Admission of Involvement in ESSA Boondoggle Likely to Make Things Even Worse for Bush

December, 2015

Now we have another, and perhaps a very prominent reason, that the 1061 page No Child Left Behind rewrite boondoggle, now called the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), was rammed through Congress when the final language was available for only two days, and why the Republican-controlled House was so hell bent on passing this bill before the Christmas recess.  Besides dancing to their corporate masters' tune to keep the gravy train of computerized learning, software, data mining, charter schools, and other profitable, but harmful educational fiascos going, the Washington Cartel establishment also wanted to try to resurrect the imploding campaign of Jeb Bush before the Iowa Caucuses on February 1st. Bush is currently at 5% in the Real Clear Politics average of polls and in 5th place both in Iowa and nationally.

Bush, during an interview on the Fox News show Special Report, actually admitted that he was involved in writing this horrific piece of legislation with its deceptive and hollow protections against federal interference in standards. He still puts forth the equally deceptive rhetoric that Common Core is high standards, a good idea gone bad due to the rascally federal government that overreached and interfered.  Here is what he said:

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He apparently thought that taking credit for this monstrosity would help him with parents and conservatives who he says "are concerned about federal involvement, principally. They're concerned, deeply concerned about federal overreach in education..." would give him an out for support of the terrible Common Core system.  He thought that being seen as a crusader against the federal leviathan would grant him some sort of pardon.  He was wrong.  

Yes, parents are concerned about federal overreach, but they are equally, if not more concerned about deception and that so many aspects of federal control increase in this bill, including the issue of federal control of standards in at least four ways (details HERE):
  1. The secretary of education has veto power over the state plans that are still required to have statewide standards and assessments.
  2. The language of the bill itself puts forth many requirements for the types of standards that must be in the state plans, so it is essentially irrelevant what the secretary does or does not do.
  3. The language of the bill itself requires that standards align with ELEVEN different federal statutes that will make it likely that states have to keep the Common Core standards or those like them, even if they call them something else
  4. .The language prohibiting federal interference is essentially the same in statutes that Secretary Duncan ignored to give us Common Core and waivers.  Then and now, there is no enforcement mechanism.
As happened after the first debate, Bush is being either ignorant or deceptive, neither of which is helpful to someone running for president. This is especially true when he already is in so much trouble with parents for supporting a system that is doing such massive harm to children.  And admitting involvement in a bill that is bad for so many other reasons, such as psychologically manipulative standards and tests, Baby Common Core preschool, and the parent replacement center creating 21st Century schools will make things even worse for him.  This latest attempt of the #JebCanFixIt meme will likely turn into another epic failure, just as the hashtag did on Twitter.

 




 




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